Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State Bulldogs

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Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney was compared to Dont'a Hightower by an NFL scout.

"Big, physical guy. I think he can (play every down)," the scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. McKinney (6-foot-4 1/8, 246 pounds) ran a 4.66 forty at the combine. "I don't know if he's a dinosaur or he's a new-breed backer," another scout said. McKinney's football instincts have been questioned, as has his speed.

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler "likes the idea" of Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney "moving to DE in the NFL."

"I might be alone here, but I like the idea of Benardrick McKinney moving to DE in the NFL. Fits his skill-set best. Practiced there at MSU," Brugler tweeted. The Mississippi State prospect has the ideal size(6-foot-4 1/8, 246 pounds) and raw athleticism evaluators like, but he is not a natural mover in space. Brugler believes if McKinney were to play ILB in a 3-4, he sees him as a "two-down thumper," But his "long-term potential" would be at defensive end.

NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Mississippi State EDGE/DL Preston Smith's "arrow is pointed up for me" after the combine.

Jeremiah added that while he agrees Smith is a base 4-3 end, he also can shift inside and play tackle when needed. Smith posted a 4.74 second 40, a vertical jump of 34 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 1 inch. The 6-foot-4 7/8, 271-pounder led the Bulldogs with nine sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 2014. Rotoworld's Josh Norris compares Smith to Malik Jackson.

On tape, Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney "around the football, but didn't make as many plays as you'd expect," said NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock.

Fellow analyst Daniel Jeremiah agreed that McKinney wasn't as productive as he expected on tape. Jeremiah said McKinney is "a true flash player," and added that the more tape he watched, "the more I got concerned." He questioned McKinney's football instincts. McKinney (6-foot-4 1/8, 246 pounds) ran a 4.66 forty.

The Kansas City Chiefs are "considering" Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney "as a possible replacement for Justin Houston," according to TFY Draft Insider Tony Pauline.

"I presently rank Benardrick McKinney at outside linebacker and so do a number of teams. Sources tell me the Kansas City Chiefs are considering McKinney as a possible replacement for Justin Houston who they may lose in free agency," Pauline writes. If the Chiefs aren't willing to open the bank for Justin Houston, they may have to look towards the draft to fill a major need. However, it looks like the Chiefs are thinking that they could utilize McKinney's combination of size, length and athleticism as an OLB.

This is at 6'4 7/8" and 271 lbs, with 34" arms and 10 5/8" hands. Smith also posted tremendous change of direction skills for someone his size, with a 7.07 3-cone and 4.28 short shuttle. Our own Josh Norris compares Smith to Malik Jackson.

Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney "could go a long way toward helping his stock by showing well when his movement skills are put to the test," notes NFL Media analyst Charles Davis.

"He's competing against the likes of Miami's Denzel Perryman and TCU's Paul Dawson to be the top inside 'backer off the board, and teams want to know if McKinney, the biggest of the three at 6-foot-5, 249 pounds, can play all three downs at the next level," Davis wrote. "Any drill that shows his fluidity, change of direction and speed will be huge for him." In other words, check out McKinney's 3-cone and shuttle drills.

Mississippi State DE Preston Smith said he is most comfortable playing at 275 pounds.

He added that teams have been telling him that they see him as a hybrid player. Smith is an eye-of-the-beholder prospect. Do you see a defensive end who holds up in the run game and can contribute a bit as an effort-driven pass rusher? Or do you see a 6-foot-4 3/4, 275-pound tweener who isn't athletic enough to consistently get to the quarterback from the edge?

Mississippi State junior RB Josh Robinson mentioned that he met with the New England Patriots, according to NESN's Doug Kyed.

The Patriots recently signed both LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden, with both Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley scheduled to hit free agency. With that being said, New England should look to the draft to add quality depth at the RB position. Robinson has great hands and is effective as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, and has the ability to pick up yac. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Robinson has drawn comparisons to NFL veteran Maurice Jones-Drew.

CBS Sports' Rob Rang notes that he was not as high on Mississippi State ILB Benardrick McKinney as others, but expects him to "turn heads this week in drills."

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound McKinney is expected to post a 42" vertical jump, and a 10’3" broad jump at the combine. McKinney has also been clocked at 4.56 in the 40-yard dash, which should easily impress evaluators.

"Both of them are big for the position and have limited lateral agility. However, both are physical," Zierlein wrote. "They will come downhill and hit you." McKinney collected 71 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, three sacks and four passes defended in 2014. CBS ranks him as the No. 24 overall prospect.

Mississippi State JUCO commit OT Martinas Rankin "is enrolled and is expected to contend for a starting spot on a Mississippi State offensive line that lost three starters," reports College Football 24/7 writer Mike Huguenin.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Rankin grades out as 247Sports.com's No. 9 JUCO recruit. "Left tackle is one of the open spots, and that is where Rankin, a Mississippi native, played for Gulf Coast CC in Perkinston, Miss," Huguenin wrote. "Depth is an issue for the Bulldogs along the offensive line, so Rankin's signing was big for coach Dan Mullen and his staff."

Gray is already enrolled and will go through spring drills. The receiver signed with Mississippi State in 2013 but didn't qualify. He should be able to crack a middling Bulldog WR depth chart, and should also make contributions as a return man. Gray missed the 2013 season with an ankle injury, played at Copiah-Lincoln CC in Wesson, Miss. last year, and retains three seasons of eligibility.

Mississippi State junior CB Will Redmond "was certainly among the top five corners in this draft going into the draft process," wrote ESPN's Mel Kiper.

Redmond, of course, elected to return to school for his last season of eligibility. Had he entered, Redmond probably would have been no worse than a second-rounder, and may have snuck into latter stages of Round 1 in a weak CB class. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported last month that Redmond could have been the second CB drafted if he had declared early. "I'd say late first or second round," an NFL scout said in the article. "He will be more of an off corner. I think he will run in the 4.3s."

Scouts Inc.'s Kevin Weidl compared and contrasted the games of Miss State LB Bernardrick McKinney and Dont'a Hightower.

Hightower was 6'2/265 lbs out of Alabama, while McKinney is closer to 6'4/250 lbs, but both are a bit unconventional for the position. Weidl points to the two having similar instincts, but Hightower played with "more natural leverage," likely due to height, had better balance and was slightly faster. That speed stood out when we watched McKinney against Auburn, as he struggled to recover once taking false steps against play action looks.